The following is my submission to a public consultation on the Draft Dublin City Centre Transport Plan which can be read at this link Dublin City Centre Transport Plan 2023
I, Senator Michael McDowell, wish to make the following submission in respect of the Draft Dublin City Centre Transport Plan.
- The plan is too radical and will seriously harm the vibrancy and social and commercial life of Dublin as the capital city of Ireland.
- In effect, it will make cross city car and commercial traffic almost impossible from the inner suburbs north and south.
- Vehicles used for commercial purposes (which include but are not limited to delivery, service, work related vehicles, and all private cars will be restricted to one or two crossing points on the River Liffey on a north south axis and on an east west axis will be confined to an inner ring road on the line of Thomas Street/Kevin Street and Bolton Street/ Gardiner Street.
- Those routes will be shared with increased public service vehicles (buses and taxis) and the increased traffic volumes will result in chronic daylong traffic congestion and immense delays for all vehicles and their users.
- A person with a car living in Portobello and wishing to visit or collect goods or deliver an elderly person or a child or to avail of any service including a medical service in any premises in, say, Phibsboro will be obliged to take a taxi or a bus if they cannot use a bicycle or scooter for the journey. The extra expense and delay will be substantial and unfair.
- Closure of the north and south Liffey quays to private motorists would make it extremely difficult for a parent in Rialto to, say deliver or collect a child to a concert in the Three Arena.
- Pedestrianisation of College Green should be attempted first before more radical and potentially damaging plans are implemented.
- Many people have the need to use private cars in the city centre, including city centre apartment dwellers, shift workers, and persons offering lifts to friends and family who cannot afford taxi fares or for whom bus transport is unsuitable, including disabled drivers.
- With increasing use of electric cars the pollution argument for restricting private vehicles will be greatly diminished.
- Access to valuable social infrastructure such as centre city car parks will be greatly reduced with knock-on effects for retail, leisure and cultural events.
- The plan should be varied to allow for incremental stages starting with College Green.
- Time should be taken to see whether the BusConnects programme is working and is adequate
- The plan utterly discounts any positive effects of private vehicle access to the city or the need for same.
- The plan overestimates the benefits of reducing private car access.
- The plan makes no provision for displacement of traffic and accommodation of displaced traffic.
Michael McDowell
30th November 2023